2018 World Cup Betting Preview for Day 2 Games

In the grand scheme of things, the opening day at the World Cup is always a relatively quiet one. Sure, we get to see the color and pageantry of the opening ceremony, but in terms of football, there is only a single game on the calendar. But for the 2018 World Cup Betting enthusiasts, things really start to take off on day 2, as we have a ton of action to cover over the weekend. Friday, June 15 will see 3 games played, with the action focused on Group A and B. Those are the games we are going to take a look at here, with predictions for each also included in the write-ups, but don’t forget to check MyBookie Sportsbook news page for daily previews, tips, and predictions during the entire tournament.

2018 World Cup Betting Preview for Day 2 Games

Mo Salah is fit to play in Egypt’s opening game tomorrow—their first at the World Cup in 28 years 💪 pic.twitter.com/Blhu12kBQ6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) 14 de junio de 2018

Egypt vs. Uruguay – Group A

• When: Friday, June 15th, 5:00 p.m. (local time)
• Where: Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Uruguay -164 / Egypt +539 / Over-Under at 2 goals

Russia blasted Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the first Group A game on Thursday, which gave group favorites Uruguay an opportunity to know what they need to do to make their way to the top of the group. This is a group that the South Americans are expected to run away with, but I’m not so sure they are going to come out with all guns blazing in their opener. Egypt is likely to be without the services of Mo Salah, which means they will offer little in the way of an attacking threat. Instead, they are likely to go on lockdown in an effort to frustrate Uruguay. The only problem for the Egyptians is that Uruguay has the players to pick that defense apart, which I am sure they will eventually be able to do. I’m going with a comfortable win for the South Americans here, no matter if Mo Salah plays or not.

Possible Line-Ups

Egypt

• 1-Essam El Hadary
• 7-Ahmed Fathy
• 13-Mohamed Abdul Shafy
• 6-Ahmed Hegazi
• 2-Ali Gabr
• 19-Abdalla El Said
• 8-Tarek Hamed
• 17-Mohamed Elneny
• 22-Amr Warda
• 9-Marwan Mohsen
• 10-Mohamed Salah

Uruguay

• 1-F. Muslera
• 16-M. Pereira
• 22-M. Cáceres
• 3-D. Godín
• 2-J. Giménez
• 15-M. Vecino
• 10-G. De Arrascaeta
• 8-N. Nández
• 6-R. Bentancur
• 9-L. Suárez
• 21-E. Cavani

Score Prediction: Egypt 0 – Uruguay 2

Morocco vs. Iran – Group B

• When: Friday, June 15th, 6:00 p.m. (local time)
• Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Morocco +124 / Iran +278 / Over-Under at 2 goals

This is a group that will almost certainly be dominated by Portugal and Spain, both of who are favored to move on. So, what exactly does that mean for these two teams? The reality is that this match represents their only true opportunity to pick up points and avoid the cellar in Group B. With that in mind, I think this one could be a lot of fun to watch. Both of these teams showed that they can play some real defense while qualifying for Russia, but I expect a much more open game here, as both want to get something out of this tournament. Iran comes into this one as a bit of an underdog, but I think we have a real shot at a mild upset here, as I am taking them to win.

Possible Line-Ups

Morocco

• 12-Munir
• 2-Hakimi
• 6-Saiss
• 5-Benatia
• 16-Amrabat
• 8-El Ahmadi
• 18-Harit
• 14-Boussoufa
• 10-Belhanda
• 7-Ziyech
• 9-El Kaabi

Iran

• 1-Beiranvand
• 23-Rezaeian
• 4-Cheshmi
• 8-Pouraliganji
• 5-Mohammadi
• 18-Jahanbakhsh
• 7-Shojaei
• 3-Hajsafi
• 17-Taremi
• 20-Azmoun

Score Prediction: Morocco 1 – Iran 2

Portugal vs. Spain – Group B

• When: Friday, June 15th, 9:00 p.m. (local time)
• Where: Fisht Stadium, Sochi
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Spain +106 / Portugal +291 / Over-Under at 2 goals

I believed that I had this game figured out early on, but the events of the last couple of days have given me some pause. Just two days prior to their opening game, the Spanish soccer federation made the decision to fire their head coach after it was revealed that he had signed a contract to take over at Real Madrid after the World Cup. I’m not sure how you can expect to do that and still have a team performs at its best in a major tournament. Perhaps worst of all, that opening game comes against the European champions, and you have to think that Portugal is now looking at this as an opportunity to take down a team in disarray. I still think this one will be tight, though, which is why I am all over the tie.

Possible Line-Ups

Portugal

• 1-Rui Patrício
• 3-Pepe
• 2-Bruno Alves
• 21-Cédric Soares
• 5-Raphaël Guerreiro
• 8-João Moutinho
• 14-William Carvalho
• 17-Gonçalo Guedes
• 16-Bruno Fernandes
• 11-Bernardo Silva
• 7-Cristiano Ronaldo

Spain

• 1-David de Gea
• 15-Sergio Ramos
• 3-Piqué
• 18-Jordi Alba
• 12-Álvaro Odriozola
• 6-Andrés Iniesta
• 21-David Silva
• 5-Sergio Busquets
• 10-Thiago Alcântara
• 22-Isco
• 9-Rodrigo

Score Prediction: Portugal 1 – Spain 1

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